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Bromeliad Care December 14, 2015

What can you tell me about the life and care of a bromeliad plant? Initially it had a beautiful red flower. Now the flower is gone and it doesn’t seem to be doing much.

The bromeliad is a houseplant that comes about as close as any I know to adapting to the tough conditions of our homes. Low light, low humidity and dry air make it unbearable for many plants, but not the bromeliads. In their native habitat they can grow with very little root system, on tree branches, trunks and on rocks. That’s why a large plant can grow in such a small container.

With so few roots you might guess this plant wouldn’t require much water. Well, you are right. In fact, over watering is the number one cause of death of bromeliads in our homes. Too much moisture around the roots will cause them to rot. But this plant has other ways of storing moisture. Its leaves overlap to create cups, which actually hold water.

When it comes to fertilizer, very little is necessary. A diluted solution, say down to 25 percent of an all-purpose houseplant fertilizer is all you need for plenty of vigorous growth. Just feed them every two weeks or so.

If your bromeliad has not bloomed in a while there is the way you can trick it into flowering by simply using a plastic bag and an apple. Make sure there is no stored water in the leaf cups and cover the plant with a clear plastic bag along with an apple. Ten days with the ripening apple will be long enough to encourage the plant to begin producing a flower stalk.

Of course my favorite member of the bromeliad family is one we’ve all seen, and I like it for obvious reasons. It’s the pineapple.